Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #grown-up-kids, aggregated by home.social.
Congratulations!
Harry just told us that he got his first job offer. One month and six days after graduation. Excellent work, Harry! I think I am going to burst with pride!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54528555968/in/album-72177720326195140
#adultKids #collegeGraduate #congratulations #Family #grownUpKids #jobOffer #Kids #Nikon #nikonZ5 #photography #pride #proud #proudStepFather #StepKids #workForce #z5
Back to Normal
The cats were very displeased with us when we got home last night. They hid for a while before coming into the room with us but keeping their distance. By morning they were being super affectionate again. Actually, they seemed more affectionate than usual. Maybe they were just starved for attention. Two days without humans constantly baby talking to them must have seemed like an eternity.
Jen and I are both back to work. We’re both really tired. We were so busy this weekend that it feels like we need a weekend to recover from our weekend. I won’t be getting one though. This week at work has the potential to be pretty rough. Here’s hoping the universe takes it easy on little old me.
We have to put a pause on the celebration of my step son Harry for a day. Today is my step daughter Bellana’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Bellana! WOOHOOO!! A couple of weeks ago I was sad because I had a birthday that moved me from my early 50’s squarely and undeniably into my mid 50’s. Today sees a similar (though less depressing) thing for Bellana. She moves from her early 20’s squarely and undeniably into her mid 20’s. The poor thing. The poor, still very young, thing. Heh, sorry.
Apart from the birthday celebration everything is back to normal. I even looked at the long range weather forecast and as expected, it calls for rain next weekend. Of course.
#adultKids #backToNormal #backToWork #birthday #catRevenge #Family #grownUpKids #happyBirthday #homecoming #Kids #StepKids #Travel
Happy
The kids are here. They got here about 2.5 hours ago. We had dinner as a family.
I am happy. I am always happy when they come home.
#adultKids #collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownKids #grownUpKids #Kids
Still On… So Far
First, allow me to say thank you to Lily the cat for sitting still this morning so that I could take a picture of her in the mostly dark room without the iPhone’s low light functionality turning her into a blurry mess. Thanks, Lily Pad!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54375418885/in/datetaken/
Next, all of my Sunday plans are still on. Fingers crossed it stays that way. No word about canceling band practice. No one has backed out, and our meet time is less than two hours away. It’s never going to be back to normal if we can’t get at least two weeks in a row in, know what I mean?
Fingers crossed.
My step son is coming over today. He’s not here yet. I hope he gets here before I leave for practice, but if he doesn’t that’s fine too. I’ll have the whole day post-practice to hang around with him.
#Cat #collegeKids #emptyNest #grownUpKids #iphoneography #Kids #Kitty #lily #lizardfish #Music #photography #StepKids
He’ll be Proud
My step son, Harry, will be proud of me. I just finished watching Better Call Saul. He really wanted me to watch it. He was raving about it all the time. Now I’ve watched the whole series and he can finally talk to me about it without worrying about spoilers.
FYI, it’s as good as everyone says it is. Go watch it.
Subject change. I mentioned that I bought a few new guitar pedals over the last week. I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet. I’m debating whether I want to integrate them into the board I use at home, or should I make a brand new pedal board instead. I’m leaning toward a new board. Just for a while at least. Just for schnitzengiggles.
Subject change. We have a couch delivery scheduled for this morning. The delivery window they gave me is pretty long. It extends into my work day and it overlaps two scheduled meetings. Here’s hoping we get lucky and the truck gets here early enough to not mess anything up.
Subject change. Our mouse hunting cats had a target last night. We woke up in the middle of the night to see them chasing a gross little teeny tiny rodent around. At the time, the little bastard got away. We don’t see any signs of the prick this morning, but the cats are clearly still on high alert. We live in the woods. One of the biggest rivers in New England runs smack through our town. Mice are a part of life. Still… go get the little home invading asshole, cats. Do your job. Protect your house.
Okay. Time to go start the day. That delivery truck is going to be here… eventually.
#adultKids #betterCallSaul #Cat #Cats #collegeKids #couch #delivery #effectsPedal #effectsPedals #Family #furniture #grownUpKids #Guitar #GuitarGear #GuitarPedals #Kids #Kitty #mice #mouse #mousers #newCouch #newFurniture #pedalBoard #StepKids #Television
The Day So Far
The car has new breaks and new tires.
A couch has been purchased and a delivery has been scheduled.
My step son is home safe and sound even though I’d much rather he were still here with us. The nest is empty once again. Boo.
All that remains is to go grocery shopping and to cook dinner. I think I’ll get started on that now.
#adultKids #collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownUpKids #Kids #plans #saturdayPlans #StepKids #thingsToDo #toDoList
Missed Opportunity
Today is our last full day with my step son Harry in the house. He’s heading back to Vermont in the morning so he can go to work in the afternoon.
I’m sad that he’s leaving. I’m even sadder that today is an in the office day and I’m going to be away from home until dinner time.
Crud.
#adultKids #collegeKids #Family #grownUpKids #Kids #StepKids
Plans Change… or I Got Them Wrong
I thought we were going to have both kids at the house until Sunday. Why did I think that? I was wrong.
Harry is leaving on Saturday. I’m not sure what time of day. Bellana’s leaving today. Boo. Sometime this morning she’s going to head back to Vermont to go to work this afternoon.
As always, I am sad when one of the kids leaves, but also really happy that they were here at all. They are adults now and both live their own lives and I respect that. I just love them both so much that I selfishly want them around all the time.
#adultKids #collegeKids #Family #grownUpKids #Holidays #Kids #StepKids #vermont
Merry Christmas
Santa Claus came. Mostly. He still has a couple of things to finish before the kids wake up, but it’s 6:30am and there are presents under the tree for the kids.
The kids are both home. Bellana got here a smidge before midnight last night. We’re all here now and all is right with the world.
HoHoHo! Merry Christmas!
#adultKids #Christmas #christmasDay #collegeKids #Family #grownUpKids #Holiday #Kids #StepKids #xmas #xmasDay
Last Christmas on Film
Just prepping myself for tomorrow by looking at some film photos from last year.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/52663792848/in/album-72177720301306543
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/52663792893/in/album-72177720301306543
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/53090300138/in/album-72177720301306543
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/53090214090/in/album-72177720301306543
#adultKids #collegeKids #Family #filmPhotography #FUJISUPERIA400 #grownUpKids #KENTMERE400 #Kids #PentaxK1000 #PentaxM1250mm #photography #StepKids #xmas
Xmas Eve
Are we all ready? Tomorrow is xmas. It is xmas eve. It’s time to get the last minute details wrapped up. Dot those holiday i’s and cross those holiday t’s.
I need to hit a couple of stores. One being a gas station and another being a grocery store. Good times. I don’t expect humongous, insane crowds or anything*.
My step son has been here for days. My step daughter will be here tonight, but not until super late. Maybe even after midnight. She has a gig in Vermont and can’t come home until after. Both kids will be here for xmas morning though and that’s what counts.
Now that the holiday is actually here, can I start feeling a little xmas spirit? I mean before it’s too late? I don’t know… tomorrow will suffice if that’s all I get. HoHoHo and shit.
#adultKids #collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownUpKids #Holiday #Kids #StepKids #toDoList #xmas #xmasEve
Write Something
I feel this almost overwhelming need to write something today, but I don’t have anything to write about. Usually I when the drive gets annoyingly persistent I can come up with something to prattle on about, but today I am drawing a blank.
The Bruins won. That’s two wins in a row on a road trip that started out awful. I think the last game of the trip is in Edmonton tomorrow night. Can they beat the Oilers? I would say probably not, but I didn’t expect them to beat Calgary last night either so what do I know.
I keep seeing the Boston Red Sox mentioned as potential destinations for big name free agent players. Unfortunately I heard the same thing over and over again during last year’s off season and we landed exactly zero big name free agents. We’ve made a big trade to get a potential ace starting pitcher. Will that be a sign of better things to come this winter? Who knows.
Harry is coming to stay with us this weekend. He was supposed to be coming over on Friday at some point but now he’s coming on Thursday! For those of you reading this at some future date allow me to clarify by stating that Thursday is tomorrow! Nice! I am working in the office tomorrow so I have to move some of my stuff out of his room before he comes over. When he’s home his room is… ya know… his room. When he’s not home, his room is my office. The only thing I need to move is a backpack and some camera stuff that is sitting on the day bed, and a table I have been using as a gift wrapping station. All of that needs to move down cellar to the space I use as an office when he’s home.
What else… what else… anything else? I don’t know. My lunch break is over. I have a meeting in about half an hour. I think I need to wrap this one up. Will it scratch today’s weird “write something, you dope” itch?
Probably not.
#adultKids #Baseball #blog #blogging #BostonBruins #BostonRedSox #Bruins #Family #grownUpKids #Hockey #homeOffice #homeOwner #Kids #MLB #NHL #office #RedSox #StepKids #write #Writing
My Eye is a Jerk
Today is day three on the antibiotics. I thought things were improving yesterday, but then it got even more annoying for a while last night.
It’s a stye. I had one on my right eye. It was on the outside of the lower lid and it didn’t bother me at all. Now I have one on my left eye on the inside of the lower lid and it’s driving me bonkers. It hurts a little. It’s itchy at times. It stings now and then. Sometimes it is all three at once. It feels a little better when I dunk a face cloth in hot water and put it on my eye for a minute or two. That’s nice.
The antibiotics they gave me are a cream that I have to put onto my lower lid and then blink into my eye. Four times a day. Don’t humans blink to get stuff out of their eyes? I can’t tell if I am getting any of the goop anywhere near where it needs to be. I put some on 57 minutes ago and my eye is bugging the hell out of me. Is that the sign that it’s working? Maybe.
It’s Monday. I am working from home. I am still exhausted from our weekend on the road. The concert on Saturday was wonderful. Yeah, my step daughter singing with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. On my “things that you will be so proud about you will nearly explode” bingo card that they gave me when I was a teenager, I never in a million years would have expected to hit on that square. She’s amazing. Enough said.
My step son is about to go into finals week on his first semester of his senior year in college. Once he gets through the next week or so he will be one final exam week away from graduation. Talk about being proud. Words cannot describe it.
Yeah, both of our kids are amazing. How can you be pissed off about a stye in your eye when you have two kids like this in your life? Amazing!
#antibioticCream #antibiotics #blink #collegeKids #eye #eyeHealth #eyes #Family #grownUpKids #health #Kids #StepKids #stye
Today’s Agenda
So Robert, what’s the plan for this fine December Saturday?
Oh nothing…
First I pick up the antibiotic cream stuff that was prescribed for the mess that is my left eye (ouch). Then I put some clothes in a backpack and maybe some gas in the car and maybe pack up some protein bars and snacks and water bottles. You know, like you do.
Then Jen and I hop into the car and mosey on up to New Hampshire to pick up my mother in law. Then we mosey on over to Vermont to meet up with the kids.
Then, later tonight, it’s nothing special. We just go to see my step daughter, Bellana, perform with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra again. They are doing a string of holiday shows this weekend and tonight’s the night for us. She’s in the chorus. You know, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Nothing special.
(Your humble narrator takes a moment to squeal with pride and glee)
I mean… is your step daughter in the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus? No? Oh. Groovy.
Road trip!
#adultKids #classicalMusic #collegeKids #Family #grownUpKids #Kids #Music #orchestra #roadTrip #StepKids #Travel #vermont #VermontSymphonyOrchestra #vso
Lunch Break
It’s Wednesday afternoon. My lunch break is coming to an end. If I were to sneak a post in before getting back to work, what would I write about?
I have no idea. My mind is a blank! So I guess we stream of consciousness this sucker? Ready… Go!
The Bruins beat the Red Wings last night. They play the Blackhawks tonight. Two teams that aren’t very good. Theoretically we should beat them both pretty easily. Last night they needed overtime to squeak out a win. Tonight? I’m almost afraid to watch.
If I could watch, that is. The NESN app is being a jerk. Well, I don’t know if it’s NESN or FiOS. I think it’s FiOS. It tells me I’m signed in, but when I try to watch something it tells me I’m not signed in and then won’t let me sign in. Maybe during tonight’s game I’ll pop in a single air pod and listen to the radio broadcast. I’m following each game but I am not listening to the goings on and I am starting to feel very much out of touch. I feel like I am too old and easily distracted to really give my full energy to a team that isn’t very good… lately they have been better but… yeah. They are currently in third place in the division so they are higher than a wild card seed for the playoffs. That’s good. Let’s keep it up, folks.
Current television binge watching projects:
Seriously, does anyone really believe that Juan Soto is going to sign with the Red Sox? Seriously?
We are going to Vermont this weekend. I want to bring my new/ancient film camera but I can’t really see a time or place where I could use it. Maybe. We’ll see. I did order my first roll of 120 color film yesterday. It won’t be delivered until after we get back though. Oh well.
I have to buy a gift for our work yankee swap. It’s Tuesday. Holy crap that came up fast. Yikes.
Okay. Back to work, Robert.
#Baseball #bingeWatch #bingeableTV #BostonBruins #BostonRedSox #Bruins #collegeKids #Family #fios #giftExchange #grownUpKids #Hockey #Kids #NHL #RedSox #StepKids #tech #Television #Travel #TV #verizonFios #vermont #yankeeSwap
Empty Nest
And just like that, our very full nest is an empty nest again. Harry left this afternoon and Bellana left a few minutes ago. They are both heading home to Vermont.
It was a wonderful weekend and I loved every second of it, but now I am sad. Jen and I will have dinner together and I’ll probably be pretty mushy and lovey (no spoilers) because I know she’s sad the kids are gone too.
Getting old sucks but it’s better than the alternative.
#adultKids #collegeKids #emptyNest #emptyNesters #Family #grownUpKids #Holiday #holidayWeekend #Kids #StepKids